Her Heart is the Final Judge
by randomcat23
Summary: The Sibyl System has fallen and Japan is ruled by the military. No longer an Inspector, Akane takes a job as dock security, welcoming home banished Japanese citizens. When Kogami shows up at the end of her shift, he is both her least expected and most welcomed citizen.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Psycho-Pass!

* * *

Like the crashing ocean waves, as one ship unloaded its human cargo and disembarked, another took its place, sending yet another drove of returning Japanese citizens onto the docks of their homeland. There was barely space to breathe, yet that did not stop anyone from smiling and orderly forming lines behind the check-in booths.

Exiled citizens were finally returning home.

The Sibyl System was no more.

Akane Tsuneomori nudged her way through the crowd with tense shoulders, her cherry red shirt a beacon for the excited crowds. It marked her as a source of information, comfort, and ease.

 _"Yes, you may bring all your luggage,"_ she had informed an overburdened young man, before his pile of bags toppled over.

To a flustered parent of three, she had calmly mentioned, _"Oh, here, I see you are missing a piece of paperwork..."_ and produced the necessary form from her pocket.

 _"Do not worry, I will find your son. He couldn't have gone far."_ The words didn't initially alleviate the parents' worries, but when she returned ten minutes later, hand in hand with the little boy, relief washed over the couple. They showered her with thanks before gathering their belongings and taking the first few steps toward customs.

She tackled new versions of these issues daily, promising the unsettled immigrants that she could solve their problems. Thankfully, the hope in each of these individuals kept most trouble at bay; all in all, it had been an orderly and promising new beginning.

Akane just wished she could sponge up the optimism.

She sucked in a breath before diving back into the crowd, making herself available for assistance. Even as the immigrants looked to the future, Akane couldn't help but to review how they had gotten to this point.

The Rebellion had come in like a storm, vicious and unexpected. One day the Dominators blanked in the middle of a mission, leaving Akane's team struggling with an armed individual. It took three of them to subdue the large man they had been chasing and all of them walked away with a few knife wounds. They managed to lock the culprit in the paddy wagon before exchanging worried glances.

Their confusion and speculation followed until a new voice called over the city that the Sibyl System was extinct.

After a sleepless night, armed forces moved in to secure the city as the leaders of The Rebellion showcased the truth of the Sibyl System and publicly executed each brain, one by one. Akane shook with each gunshot, shattering her world view right along with her ear drums. Within a week, the whirlwind blew over and Akane found herself without a job and a complete loss of purpose.

After a few weeks of uncharacteristic laziness brought on by shock, Akane Tsunemori chose officially stepped down as Inspector. She stopped staring at her apartment walls as if they had answers and applied for a job helping people. Dock Security. That's what they offered her and she took it with open hands.

Now, prowling wet docks instead of grimy streets, her detective ears listened to the crowds, searching for any signs of unrest. It almost shamed her to admit it, one who always put faith in people, but she was shocked that the transition had gone so smoothly. As on most days, she heard nothing but brief speculation before it was brushed aside in favor of excitement, acceptance, and determination.

 _"I heard it was an inside job, one of the...brains rebelled."_

 _"I don't care, I get to see my father again."_

Citizens returning were willing to move on without questioning the way the system had been brought down now that they could step foot inside Japan again. Some of them had left the country before the Sybil System and were returning as old men. Others had been kicked out for one reason or another, left to forge a life without safety.

It was those that she couldn't help but ask questions about.

 _"What had they done to get exported?"_

But she didn't get to voice these concerns anymore. It was no longer her job to pick apart people's emotional state. That did not stop her from wondering, however.

A clattering tore her attention away from the open sky and onto a stumbling man not twenty meters away. Instincts kicking in, she moved toward him and memories of the the coddling way the drones used to speak to distressed people played in her head.

The man recovered his footing as he wrapped his long brown coat tightly around his body, an odd accessory on the warm spring day. The second his wide eyes met hers, she gave chase. She was already calculating possible courses and her advantages. Akane blinked away memories of dark alleys and focused on the man's broad back. He bobbed through the crowd, fighting through the dense cloud of cloth and bodies. While he bumped into nearly everyone he passed, Akane's smaller size and red shirt allowed her to pass through with ease, much like how she'd dodge pedestrians while pursuing a target.

He stumbled again and Akane's suspicions were confirmed when a purse fell from his grasp and onto the dock. Slick concrete proved no hindrance as she positioned herself between the man and the stolen article. Crouching, she asked, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Ah, no, I am fine," he stammered, his eyes darting, looking for an escape route. People nearby exchanged whispers behind hands and looked on with interest.

"We can take it from here," a commanding voice broke through the crowd. Three armed guards moved forward and grabbed the man around his shoulders. The thief stood no chance against their imposing heights and thick body armor. Their leader tipped his helmet at Akane and just as they appeared, they were gone like ghosts, the criminal with them.

Akane stood with a sigh and rubbed the grit from her hands. She was slightly comforted and irked by the fact that this time she hadn't reached for the handcuffs that were no longer on her waist.

 _"Will he serve time? What punishments will become standard? So far, I've seen nothing but brutality..."_

No Dominator beeped in her grasp and no badge displayed her authority. Even when her instincts kicked in and she caught a small crime, Akane had no power to bring in justice. Some, like Yayoi, had abandoned the cop lifestyle all together, preferring to shed all connection to Sybil. Yet, as Akane looked in the direction the guards had gone, she promised to herself to continue serving the people.

That responsibility, she could not discard.

Soon after she had taken this job, Akane had visited her parents. Like most other citizens, they were shaken by abrupt changes to society. True to their form, they tried to make light of the situation and jokingly told Akane that now she'd have time to find a boyfriend.

 _"We just want you to be happy,"_ they insisted with tight smiles. _"And now that you don't have that danger-that high profile job..."_

Akane had tilted her head in agreement, happy that at least her parents could talk about such small matters. _"I know. I'm just...trying to find my footing."_ In the end, she promised to try, knowing in her heart she would let them down on that account.

Seagulls cawed overhead. Akane lifted her head to watch them glide in the wind and wondered darkly who in their right mind would date an ex-Inspector now that everyone knew the truth behind the Sibyl System.

She shook the thoughts away and returned her attention to the crowd. Someone was playing low quality music out of a boom box, but a few people sang along with the outdated machine. Giggles came from the group of children playing handheld games. Squeaks and groans announced the arrival of food carts that served the patient immigrants. The cooks began their daily trip up and down the slow moving lines, steamed buns and treats in tow.

Just as the first shish kabob was handed out, Akane caught a whiff of smoke and froze.

She instantly recognized the distinct smell of tobacco over the salty ocean scent. Its sharp sting in her nostrils was so different from the smoke of roasting fish. She shot off into the crowd looking for the source of the smell, her heart keeping in time with her rapid steps that carried her further out onto the dock.

Her mind pleaded, _"Don't be ridiculous, Akane,"_ but her heart wished, _"It can't be, but..."_

One gentleman shuffled his family to the right and left a gap in the throng. Taking her chance, she sandwiched herself through the hole and stumbled to a halt. _"Where...?"_ She sucked in two rapid breaths and then Akane elbowed her way through with a rushed "Excuse me," emitted every few seconds.

There.

The scent carried her further onto the docks, where the crowd was thinner, but was then lost in the sea spray that spattered her face. Akane almost laughed at herself before rubbing the water from her eyes.

 _"I'm a fool."_

The last departing ship let out a cry of its horn and with it, sounded the end of her shift. Accurate time keeping had yet to reestablish itself with the electricity sparse and unreliable. Only government centers always received an electrical currant. The docks operated by the angle of the sun and the coming and going of ships.

Another day gone.

She turned toward land, suddenly exhausted. Downtrodden, Akane occupied her mind with retracing her steps and minutiae of the rest of her day: Walking the two mile trek to her house since public transportation no longer functioned; Cooking her military issued food packet (chicken or pork?) because her apartment had no electricity; Standing in line to fill water bottles for the week.

People parted to the sides, waving after food trucks, chasing after children. She looked up in a divide and went cold at the sight of the person there.

It must be a ghost.

Shinya Kogami.

Her heart hiccupped and Akane shot a hand out to steady herself on a light post, thoughts scattering like a dropped puzzle. Clad in green and black, he looked much like he did the last time she saw him, two years ago, as a terrorist. He blew out a puff of smoke and she half expected him to disappear into the wind with it.

But all the wind did was run through his hair. He greeted her with a tilt of his head, as if he had expected no other, "Inspector."

Her breath hitched; the old title surprisingly stung. Unable to let the wrong stand, Akane corrected him, "I'm not an Inspector anymore...I'm..."

"So I've heard," he admitted after taking a drag. Kogami adjusted the bag hanging off his shoulder. There was an apology mixed with a challenge in his grey eyes when he asked, "So what does that make me?"

Her lip found its way between her teeth as she tried to hold back tears. She stuffed her shaking hands into her pockets, then yanked them out.

The last time they had been together, she had promised to turn him in, to fulfill the order given to her. To have him face his crimes. To bring him home. Now, her source of societal judgment that had condemned him to death was gone.

There was no barrier between them, except her own belief and determination of what was right.

"Kogami," she whispered, feeling at once star struck like the young rookie she had been when they first met. Back then, she had determined him to be a stoic man dedicated to his job. Then, as a mentor and possibly a friend. The years after Kogami had killed Makashima and escaped, she tore through her judgments but always settled upon the same one that came from her heart.

Now that was the only measure that mattered.

With the Sybil System gone, there were countless uncertainties now in her life. Boldly, she figured she better drop pretenses and finally claim one thing she wanted. Rushing the space between them, Akane pulled at Kogami's black shirt and franticly pressed her mouth to his.

She defensively held her breath until his arms enveloped her. In another second air swept between her feet and dock. He must have discarded his cigarette because he buried a hand in her brown hair and removed any remaining space between their bodies.

"Welcome back, Shinya Kogami," she whispered breathlessly.

He cocked an eyebrow and noted, "Surprisingly merciful tactic on your part, Inspector."

"It's Akane." He dropped her slowly back to the ground. Glee tugging at the corners of her eyes and mouth, Akane continued, "I'm not sure it's merciful so much as its selfish."

Kogami grinned. "You can be selfish for once."

Overcome, she buried her face in his shirt, soaking him in. His towering form encircled her, as people milled around them, moving tirelessly toward the lines ahead. When Kogami tipped her chin up to kiss her again, a whistle reached their ears along with amused laughter. Akane jumped back, a pink flush on her cheeks.

"Do you know them?" Kogami moved to put himself between her and the noise, an old tactic that twisted her heart.

A small laugh escaped her pursed lips. "No. But I work here, so it's...I'm being unprofessional." The explanation fell flat as she reached for his arm and surveyed the crowd for disturbances, but found people simply returning their attention to the sluggish line and the food in their hands.

The crowd moved onward without her now that they had had their fun. After all, why should the reunion between a Dock Security officer and a nameless man be of any importance?

Kogami clasped her hand and led her to the closest bench. "Tell me everything."

* * *

It was easier than expected, explaining her last case as an Inspector, the quick and painless way the Sybil System simply disappeared. The words came out organized like the reports she used to write. She briefly went over the new government's platform, running on the benefits of the people's rights to choose their fate. But he already knew all that and did not bother asking any questions.

After giving all the broad details, with a dip of the sun and a hitch in her lungs, Akane gave the more thorough bits of information. These came out in a disjointed rush.

She told him that in an effort to gain support for the new government, The Rebellion used latent criminal's stories as propaganda. Akane murmured that Yayoi had come forward with Kagari's story, and that his was one of the most powerful. After the horrors of latent criminal treatment were made public, people found it difficult to defend a system that had erased the presence of a man who had simply tried to do his job.

Akane mentioned the silent cities, how eerie it had been the first few days. Electricity gone, gun shots abound, it had been hard to wrap her head around the chaos after a lifetime of order.

The execution of the brains came out in monotone. The story still left odd tingles on her skin. Maybe it always would. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kogami light another cigarette. She had never told him that she knew about the true nature of the Sybil System. Something told her he was waiting for that explanation, to bridge that one gap in their shared trust.

Not yet.

She turned to herself then, mentioning the new job. "I couldn't sit and do nothing."

It was a long fall from Inspector to Dock Security and the landing hurt more than it should have.

"Had you known, would you have joined the rebellion?" Kogami asked abruptly.

"I don't know." The truth in it stung her tongue and made tears welled up in her eyes. Even surrounded by the laughter and smiling faces on the docks the last few weeks, she worried about the future. About the people who were punished for being placed in power by Sybil. About how law was dished out by the military now. Japan was welcoming everyone back, even criminals who had-

Akane jolted, knocking her shoulder into Kogami's arm. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to piece her thoughts together. Her arms folded across her knees as she stared out over the waves. "I feel like a hypocrite sitting next to you and then questioning the uprising."

Kogami leaned back in the bench, arms wide on the back rest. He finished his cigarette with one final exhale. "We should always question the way of things...even if we benefit from it." The heat of his gaze made her neck flush. "But you don't have to feel bad for being happy."

Head tilted, she pondered the man beside her. "But I was just going along with the Sybil System-"

Kogami leaned forward and kissed her until her frowning ceased, and then, just a little bit longer.

"You're being very forgiving." She pulled her swollen lips away, at once thrilled and embarrassed.

"Let's just say I've learned what battles to pick with myself." He reached out a hand and drew her to his side. "Constantly beating myself up about Sasayama did not help me in the end. Nitpicking every decision I made, wondering what evidence I had missed." Kogami waved a hand, casting aside the years that had turned him into a Hound. A warning. "It would serve you well to not be too hard on yourself."

She digested that slowly.

They sat on that bench, the waves a constant marker of passing time, and the lines of people slowly filtering back into the country. Kogami spoke of his time abroad in general terms, withholding details behind a firm mouth. Akane hoped his brevity meant he would share more later, maybe after she gathered the courage to talk about her knowledge about the old System.

They fell silent after a time. Behind them, the sun set and painted the sky with its dying warmth. Ahead, the horizon dipped toward blue and slowly to purple. Every few minutes, Akane noted the progress of the lines, before turning back and using it as a reason to study the man next to her.

Like the steely grey hair now at his temples, evidence of the stress of war and the years lost to them.

The way he still shifted with ease, muscles strong under his dark shirt.

When he caught her staring, she dropped her gaze to his bag on the ground with a blush. She thought she could make out the straight edge of a book, but it was hard to say. Kogami hadn't changed that much after all these years. Her lips burned at the memory of their reunion, and amended, _"Well, he's changed some. But I guess so have I."_

Even with his fingers curled around her upper arm, Akane began to question what would happen after today. Their reunion had been a passionate one. She was still wrapping her head around it. Shinya here, with her. No social barriers, no crimes to solve.

Locking out her heart, Akane concluded that this physical proximity may be nothing more than the accumulation of joy after years of forced distance.

He had always left in the past.

What was there to keep him here?

She wasn't selfish enough to name herself as a reason.

The final bell for the day startled them both. Night had set in quickly. They left the bench and walked inland, just hundreds of steps from Kogami's reinstated citizenship. From his bag, Kogami drew out the paperwork, sorting each sheet into the correct order.

"Saiga tells me he's to be reinstated as a professor," he drawled, eyes scanning his forms.

"How did you contact him?" It did not surprise her that the two exchanged information, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Crafty old men, we have ways."

She frowned at the "we." They collectively moved forward as one more person passed the guard house. The uncertainty that needed to be resolved in a matter of meters had her heart beating like a drum. One by one, citizens walked through the gates and jumped into shuttles ready to drive them to their families. She would turn left out of the gate to make the trek back to her drab apartment. Cautiously, trying to keep her voice even, Akane inquired, "So, where are you staying?"

Kogami flicked a completed cigarette and said, "That depends on you, Akane."

Stunned, she raised an eyebrow and flipped through his entry papers. There it was, his Address of Stay a blank line.

Kogami chuckled as understanding washed over her face. "I have Saiga's address," he admitted, giving her an out.

Akane shook her head and filled out the form with a split second decision. Her hand shook as she struggled to contain her glee. With the final ink dot on the paper, Akane said, "Shinya, you can come with me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This has been on my computer FOREVER. I've had the image of them sitting, chatting on a dock, in my head ever since I saw the movie. War, smwar. I just want them to be happy.

I could really use some more Psycho-Pass!

Anyway, thanks for reading!-randomcat23


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